Do you have what it takes to run with the pros?

Athletes Are Built, Not Bred

This is also one of those times when a more unknown player can make a name for himself. You hear it year after year. So-and-so from South Eastern Western Tech is suddenly on every team’s radar because of a blazing fast 40 time or some crazy jump. Last year, the University of Connecticut’s Byron Jones, a corner, shattered a Combine broad jump record by 8 inches, marking a staggering 12’ 3” jump. He then followed it with a 44 ½” vertical leap to make him the most impressive leaper the Combine has ever seen. He was promptly scooped up by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft as the 27th player selected overall.

Byron’s performance was a one-of-a-kind showing that we likely will never see again. The vertical jump and the standing broad jump are the two big leaping drills for the NFL scouts. Both are decent indicators on explosiveness. Training for the jumps can take on a variety different looks. Some coaches live and die by plyometric training, whereas others like myself will take a bit of an unconventional route. Either way, many coaches believe that there’s not much you can do to dramatically increase these numbers. They believe these athletes are bred, not built.

Well, I disagree.

I could tell you stories of dramatic increases we’ve been able to produce with what most would consider to be mediocre athletes at best. But I’d rather show you how we did it. If you’re preparing for your Pro Day, you’ll learn how to make the most of your jumping abilities. Hell, if your sport involves jumping of any kind (Olympic lifting, anyone?), these tips will fire you up (or forward). This is how we build strong, explosive, open hips in our players at Cal Poly.

Burton De Koning (linebacker NFL prospect) performing the vertical jump.

Preparing for Testing Day: Strong Hips

Nearly all athletic movements start at the hip. My athletes preparing for the Combine or Pro Day squat and pull their hips into shape. It is my firm belief that the qualities we consider to be “athletic,” like speed, power, and even flexibility, are built from a foundation of strength. Without strength, the other qualities have little chance to flourish.

Squatting, particularly front squatting, is a mainstay in our program. The front squat is the most logical choice due to the amped-up abdominal work it demands. A front squat also hits the quads more than a back squat. In the 2-3 months I have to prep my players, we are going to go heavy. Most of the time, we will be working in either sets of five or three.

“The best way to get the CNS ready to jump? Grab a kettlebell and swing.“

Next on the hip list is hinging exercises for posterior chain development. Particularly for the jumping drills, the hinge exercises are going to be force fed. I love deadlifts for Combine prep. Not only do they strengthen the hips like no other, but their benefits leak into many of the sprinting drills. A player’s ability to produce enormous amounts of force when the foot contacts the ground during sprints is an additional foundation for more and more speed. Relative to body weight, the stronger athlete is going to outperform everyone.

We deadlift heavy, but unlike the squatting variations, we tend to work in higher volumes: 5 to as many as 20 reps per set. Much of the volume in my deadlift protocols revolves around fatigue and CNS stimulation, so we go more by feel than a periodized program. When the pan is hot, we cook.

Preparing for Testing Day: Explosive Hips

This is where Olympic lifts and kettlebells have the biggest payoff. First, the Olympic lifts. Because of the power and suddenness they demand, the Oly lifts are perfect for someone who is trying to increase their leaping abilities. Have you ever seen a world-class Olympic lifter jump? If you have, you know what I am talking about. Additionally, the Olympic lifts are fantastic calf developers. Between the Oly lifts and running, my players’ calves have all they need. They do all three of the Olympic lifts – cleans, snatches, and jerks – to develop the pop they need to turn heads.

You may be surprised to learn that I rarely do any direct jump training with my athletes. That’s because they are proficient at kettlebell swings. Ground contacts are a bitch for big athletes, and even the smaller players are nearly 200lb these days. Their legs can only tolerate so many landings before something has got to give. Therefore, the kettlebell swing is my go-to for mimicking all jumping activities.

But you need to swing hard, folks. When I say hard, I mean hard. Maximal tension for every rep. The beauty of the kettlebell swing is that my players can do tons of volume without a huge risk of overtraining. We aim to average between 600-800 swings a week.

Preparing for Testing Day: Open Hips

We coaches see it all the time with athletes these days – hips so tight you need a crowbar to get them open. My athletes do considerable hip flexor work to open locked-down hips. The hip flexors are the parking brakes of the leg. They inhibit hip extension when they are tight. The fastest way to turn out a lousy jump is to have bound-up hip flexors.

We do a lot of mobility at the beginning of our training sessions to open the hip flexors, and then we complement that work with the heavy posterior work I talked about above. The combination of mobility and posterior work tends to fix any big issues and give our athletes the best chance to overachieve. We will also do considerable hip flexor stretching prior to jumping. This allows the athlete to extend his or her hips with as little anterior tightness interfering as possible.

Jordan Hines (wide receiver NFL prospect) performing the standing broad jump.

Techniques for Testing Day: Vertical Jump

The Test: My biggest concern with the vert is how my athletes line up to the Vertec unit. Positioning is key. The hardest thing for my athletes to grasp is they need to have their dominant shoulder underneath the sticks. This usually feels like they are too far away from the unit itself, so they want to close the distance. But we need the testing side to be lined up correctly, and the only way to do this is to make sure the arm is directly underneath the sticks.

How We Train For It: I know I am going to drive most of you crazy with this next recommendation, but the vertical jump is just a kettlebell swing. I know. But it’s true. Yes, there is slightly more knee bend in the vertical jump than in the kettlebell swing, but my athletes know this is a hip-hinge dominant movement. If an athlete can swing with power, he or she likely can jump well vertically.

At Cal Poly, we teach a hyper-loading of the hips by mimicking our kettlebell swing groove. The difference is where the feet are. We want the feet directly underneath the hips for the vertical jump. The hands and arms act as the weight for this jump (or swing, if you will). We then have the athlete forcefully enact the slamming down of the hands and arms, which loads the hips. Then they jump.

Techniques for Testing Day: Broad Jump

The Test: The broad jump requires more finesse and athleticism than the vertical jump. Therefore, kettlebell swings won’t be my lone answer, as much as I might want them to be. The NFL has strict standards for this test. Feet need to be stationary for takeoff (no errant stepping of any kind), and the athlete must “stick the landing.” In the old days, there was a bit of gray area on this one, but in the past ten years or so they’ve become more and more demanding. The athlete must land without stepping or putting a hand down. This makes the jump considerably more difficult to execute.

How We Train For It: We teach a rolling variation for the broad jump. The athlete needs to almost rock his weight back into his heels with his hands raising above his head. Once he hits the imaginary wall behind him (that point where if I lean back any further I might have to take a step back), he hinges at the hip and urgently transfers his body weight to his forefoot, using his arms and a little momentum. We want the weight going forward as much as possible before the jump is complete. It’s as if someone is pushing from behind right as the athlete is about to take off.

The flight phase is where we get fancy. The object is to stay in the air as long as possible. Most athletes make the mistake of putting their feet down early. It’s reflexive. The big cue is to bring the earth to your feet, not your feet to the earth. The athlete has to basically land in a full squat. This ensures the absolute longest flight time for the jumper. If I can hear an athlete’s feet during the landing, it’s because he is catching himself. If he can land quietly, I know he is allowing the ground to come to him. Again, the athlete is going to have to stick the landing for the attempt to count.

Techniques for Testing Day: Ignite the Fire

You only get two attempts at both drills on testing day. Two. So needless to say, you need to be warmed up and your CNS needs to be excited long before you step into the drill. So I would like to end this piece the only way I know how. The best way to get the CNS ready to jump? Grab a kettlebell and swing. Enjoy.

More Ways to Help You Get Air:

• Two Things You Need For a Better Vertical Jump
• The Science of Strength Training for Vertical Jump and Change of Direction
• Heavy Squats Improve Vertical Jump
•  New on Breaking Muscle Right Now

Photo 1 courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo collages courtesy of Chris Holder.

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But how do you actually go about increasing your vertical? The answer is in two parts:

1. Increased force output – How much strength or energy can be applied to the ground
2. Increased rate of force development – How quickly force can be produced and applied

The combination of these two is what allows someone to propel him- or herself from the ground to as high as possible. These two variables are the answers to the question you vertically challenged folks have been asking for years. Since our answer is in two parts, let’s take a look at both of these aspects separately and then bring them both together.

Increased Force Output

This sounds simple. It just means you should get stronger. But strength acquisition is a topic that can be overly complicated and drawn out all on its own. So we will look at the most simplified method. Given our goal of increasing vertical jump height, we will focus specifically on lower body strength.

When developing lower body strength, the king of exercises is the back squat. Specifically, the back squat at a depth below parallel. Squatting below parallel with high loads has been shown to reap the most benefit in the vertical jump.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research took 59 participants and placed them in a ten-week training group focusing on three variations of the squat: back squats, deep front squats, and partial range of motion back squats. Beginning the training program, each participant underwent a series of tests including vertical jump, one rep max (1RM), and rate of force development. The participants placed in the deep front and deep back squat groups improved performance in the vertical jump by just over one inch. The partial squat group showed no improvements at all.

In addition, each group tested the three squat variations for improvements in 1RM strength. Results showed the deep squat groups demonstrated improvements in all three variations, but the partial squat group only improved in partial squats. The last test, rate of force development, was not changed within the deep squat group, but was significantly decreased in the partial squat group.

Through this study we are able to see three important points:

1. Deep squats improve vertical jump height
2. Deep squats increase force output no matter the range of motion
3. Partial squats actually decrease rate of force development

So, we now know how to develop variable number one – force output. The research shows squatting deep can increase vertical jump and force output.

Now, how do we go about increasing the second variable, the rate of force development? I want to increase my vertical more than one inch. And I know if the force I can now produce is developed more rapidly, the amount of power produced increases dramatically.

Rate of Force Development

Simply squatting deep does not help with increasing the rate at which force is developed. Deep squatting is primarily affecting the musculature, but in relation to power or rate of force development, we need to train the nervous system. This means we must focus on recruiting more of the high threshold units. These motor units are most easily recruited by increasing load while simultaneously trying to accelerate that load as quickly as possible.

Olympic lifts are commonly used to recruit these high threshold motor units are the Olympic lifts. However, since these lifts are more complex than many other exercises, technique can limit the progress made. In order to avoid the technique issues, I suggest focusing on a simplified derivative of the clean – the mid-thigh pull.

The mid-thigh pull starts in the same position as the hang clean and requires triple extension of the ankles, knees, and hips, yet does not require the catch that a clean does. Since it is so simple, you can focus strictly on adding weight to the bar, accelerating it upward as quickly as possible, and then letting the weight fall.

Some studies have even shown that in reference to our primary goal, increasing rate of force development, the mid-thigh pull is better than the power clean. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared the power clean, hang clean, mid-thigh pull, and mid-thigh power clean. The comparison showed the mid-thigh pull to be the superior means of increasing rate of force development.

Putting It All Together

So we’ve found exactly the combo of movements we are looking for: the best method of increasing force output (deep back squat) and the best method of increasing rate of force development (mid-thigh pull). In order to program these two exercises, we will use the concept of linear periodization, which also happened to be used in the squat depth study.

These exercises can be done up to twice a week. Any more than that starts to challenge recovery, which can negate any progress. They can also be done within any training program. The only requirement is that these exercises be done early in your workout, since they require force and/or power and any fatigue will inhibit this program’s effectiveness.

Hypertrophy Phase:

• Mid-Thigh Pull 4 x 5
• Deep Back Squat 4 x 10
• Rest Break: 1.5 minutes
• Phase Duration: 4 weeks

Max Strength Phase:

• Mid-Thigh Pull 4 x 4
• Deep Back Squat 5 x 5
• Rest Break: 2.5 minutes
• Phase Duration: 6 weeks

Speed Strength Phase:

• Mid-Thigh Pull 4 x 3
• Deep Back Squat 5 x 3
• Rest Break: 3 minutes
• Phase Duration: 4 weeks

Power Phase:

In this phase, alternate one set of exercise one with one set of exercise two.

• Mid-Thigh Pull 5 x 3
• Deep Back Squat 5 x 3
• Rest Break: 3 minutes
• Phase Duration: 3 weeks

References:

1. Hagen Hartmann, et al. “Influence of squatting depth on jumping performance.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 26, no. 12 (2012): 1.

2. Paul Comfort, et al. “Comparisons of Peak Ground Reaction Force and Rate of Force Development During Variations of the Power Clean.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 25, no. 5 (2011): 1235-1239.

Photo courtesy of CrossFit Impulse.

The post The Two Best Exercises for Increasing Your Vertical Jump appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

2 Skills You Need For a Better Vertical Jump (Doug Dupont)

Power is certainly a prerequisite for a high vertical jump, but so is skill work. A new study identified two skills to work on if you’re looking for a higher jump.

Heavy Squats Improve Vertical Jump (Jeff Barnett)

Imagine your vertical jump is just about to be tested. Suddenly, you tell the test administrator, “Hold up, I gotta do some heavy squats first.” Sound ridiculous? A new study suggests it might not be.

Vertical Jump Performance: The Effects of Strength, Power, and Training Surface Stability (Tom Kelso)

Serious athletes know the ability to generate power is one of the keys to performance. But how to you train to develop power? Is the fabled vertical jump really an indicator? Science takes a look.

Complex Training Methods With Hang Cleans Enhance Vertical Jump (Mindith Rahmat)

In a previous article we discussed the use of complex training systems as an effective tool to elicit maximal performance gains in athletes.

Push Jerks Enhance Vertical Jump Performance – Maybe? (Katherine Derbyshire)

Developing jumping power is vital for many athletes, but is the push jerk a good way to do it? Science takes a look at the actual mechanics involved and says, maybe not.

Proper Plyometrics: How to Box Jump, Vertical Jump, and Broad Jump Correctly (Ryan Kish)

Some coaches don’t use plyometrics, for fear they may be dangerous or to hard to teach. Done properly plyometrics can be the tool that makes the difference between average and great.

Is There a Correlation Between Sprint Times and Vertical Jump? (Doug Dupont)

A new study investigated the correlation between sprinting and vertical jump performance, and found that athletes who are good at one tend to be pretty good at the other.

Back Squats Just Prior Improve Vertical Jump Performance (Jeff Barnett)

Post-Activation Potentiation or PAP – what is it? It means if you squat heavy, you can jump higher. Science looks at how much weight it takes to activate this potential and how you can apply it, too.

Got Vertical? How to Measure for Explosive Strength (Dresdin Archibald)

Most laypersons will bet that weightlifters have little jumping ability. They are just too big and slow, right? This is now refuted frequently, but the Soviets actually refuted it decades ago.

Using Kettlebell Swings to Improve Vertical Jump (Andrew Read)

Years ago I used the kettlebell swing to improve jumping ability. I didn’t know why it worked at the time, but new research looks into the relationship between the swing and explosive strength.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post 10 Ways to Add Extra Inches to Your Vertical Jump appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

We usually think of the vertical jump as a power movement. There are some details in form coaches consider to be critical to a good jump, namely a strong counter-movement (when you lower rapidly just before the jump) and good arm action. But aside from these basic components of jumping skill, an athlete’s vertical jump is typically thought of as a pure expression of power.

However, it seems power is not the only factor at play in vertical jump performance. For example, in many lab tests a variable called ground reaction force is used to determine jumping power. Theoretically, the more power you put into the floor, the more power gets put into a jump. The problem is, good jumpers often have lower propulsive ground reaction forces than poor jumpers, which seems contradictory. Similarly, the peak torque at the joints tends to be the same amongst good jumpers and not-as-good jumpers. Therefore, if two jumpers produce the same amounts of power, but perform differently, the skill component must also be of critical importance.

In the newest study, the researchers found vertical leap may be more of a skill maneuver than many coaches and athletes realize. The researchers looked at two components of the vertical leap most thought to influence vertical jump height:

• Sequencing: The first factor the researchers investigated was joint sequencing, which means the order in which the pelvis, hips, knees, and ankles work to produce force. There are two schools of thought on the best sequencing strategy. One is a proximal-to-distal strategy, which means that a jump begins at the pelvis and then moves down the joints of the leg, ending at the ankle. The second is a simultaneous strategy, in which all these joints move at once.
• Arm Action: In addition to sequencing, the researchers considered arm action, which is a better known component of the vertical jump. The researchers were also interested in how arm action affected sequencing.

The researchers found both of these components to be highly influential. Whether the athletes used their arms or not, a proximal-to-distal strategy was superior. Beginning the jump at the pelvis, then moving to the hip and knee (which are mechanically linked), and finally the ankle, yielded the greatest performance, rather than initiating the movement with all joints at once. In fact, the longer the delay between joint activation, the higher the jump. A long delay doesn’t mean a slow jump, but rather a more efficient transfer of energy.

Arm action also improved jump performance. Not only that, but good arm action also meant a longer proximal-to-distal strategy. So even if arm action alone hadn’t directly improved jump height, it contributed to the skill component of a jump, anyway.

Any athlete who wants to improve his or her vertical jump should work on the skill component of jumping and arm swinging. The researchers also noted that these results have applications elsewhere, since the same strategies apply to various loaded exercises, such as cleans. So keep practicing your skill work.

References:

1. Loren Chiu, et. al., “Proximal-to-Distal Sequencing in Vertical Jumping With and Without Arm Swing,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000388

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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In the study, the researchers sought to find associations between a weighted countermovement jump and a ten-meter sprint. The countermovement jump the athletes performed was loaded and performed in a Smith machine with 37.4lbs (17kg). Generally a countermovement jump is measured for height alone. In this study, although the participants were going for maximum height, the bar speed also generated an easy way to measure other forces.

The researchers discovered some relationships between the jump and the ten-meter sprint, both in the required power and in the motion of the body. Most notable, however, were the peak bar velocity and power. The athletes who could move the bar the fastest also performed the best in the ten-meter sprint. Keep in mind that peak velocity and average velocity are not the same thing. Average velocity also correlated with better sprinting, but not to the degree that peak velocity did.

The researchers warned about the interpretation of these results. They might have found a significant correlation, but this is only a starting point. We still don’t know for certain if a lightly loaded countermovement jump can be used as a training tool to develop sprinting speed. It’s possible that the person most motivated to jump with the greatest power had the same motivation during the sprinting test.

In normal testing conditions, the height of the jump is what’s measured, not the peak velocity. Although the two are certainly related, the bodyweight of the athlete also plays a major role in height once he or she leaves the ground. While the authors didn’t study this feature, they noted this correlation was probably strong as well.

It seems that for now, the use of a vertical leap test is validated as a sprinting assessment tool, but we need more studies to be absolutely certain. In the meantime, it may at least be a good way for coaches to examine the motivation of an athlete to push the limits.

References:

1. Mário Marques, et. al., “Kinetic and Kinematic associations between vertical jump performance and 10 meters sprint time,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000390

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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Today’s study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research examined the scenario above. Fourteen college weightlifters were recruited to test their vertical jump performance. Each athlete was tested twice. In one protocol, the athlete would rest quietly and peruse Instagram for three minutes between maximal jump attempts. In the second protocol, each athlete was required to perform a single back squat before jump attempts.

The first squat used 20% of 1RM, then 40%, 60%, and 80% 1RM. The final jump was preceded by a static hold during which the athlete strained maximally on the bar for six seconds in a half squat. The two different protocols were performed on different days and in random order for each athlete, so normal improvement in the vertical jump shouldn’t be a factor in the results.

The results showed that heavy squats significantly improved vertical performance. In fact, the heavier the squat, the greater the improvement. After the 60% 1RM squat, the group averaged about a one-inch vertical jump improvement. The 80% 1RM squat yielded over 1.5 inches of improvement. And the maximal isometric hold in the half squat yielded almost a 2.5-inch improvement. That was an improvement of 10%. What would 10% extra explosiveness mean during your jumps and sprints?

This isn’t the first time PAP has been found to improve explosive performance. This study showed that squatting at 93% of 1RM had the greatest effect on vertical jump performance. This study demonstrated deadlifting at 85% 1RM just prior to sprinting resulted in faster times. And this study showed pulling on an immovable rower handle for five seconds improved rowing sprints.

PAP is building some real momentum in exercise research. Lifting a near maximal load just prior to an explosive movement like jumping or sprinting appears to enable the body to perform significantly better. Even straining maximally against an immovable object can have this effect, as evidenced by today’s study and a previous rowing study. Whether your performance is being tested in competition or you are just looking to improve performance during training, PAP should be one of the tools in your arsenal.

References

1. Hirayama, Kuniaki. Acute Effects of an Ascending Intensity Squat Protocol on Vertical Jump Performance. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (forthcoming). POST ACCEPTANCE, 11 October 2013. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000259.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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Because of their apparent similarity, coaches have often treated jumping and jerk training as complementary exercises. However, there are some obvious differences between the two. In particular, the need to control a heavy barbell imposes constraints on body movement in the jerk that are not present in jumping. In order to quantify the similarities and differences between the two, a study at Imperial College, London, used force plate and kinematic measurements to analyze the jumping, landing, and jerk movement patterns of 12 athletic men.

For the study, participants were asked to perform five maximal height jumps. Nine of the subjects had previous training in jerk technique, and these athletes were also asked to perform 40 kg (88 pounds) push jerks. As the authors pointed out, 40 kg is a relatively light load for athletic males. Further research is needed to determine whether the jerk elicits the same movement patterns at near-maximal loads. Other avenues for further study might include analyzing movement patterns in the more commonly used split jerk, and analysis of the violent hip extension observed in the weightlifting clean.

The present study found that both the jump and jerk movements followed a proximal-to-distal muscular recruitment strategy. Maximum moment arms were developed near the center of the body first, then at the extremities. In jumping, peak hip extension came first, followed by peak knee, then peak ankle extension, with the reverse pattern followed in the landing phase. In the jerk, in contrast, there was relatively little hip involvement, with peak knee extension followed by peak ankle extension. The authors attribute the lack of hip involvement to the constraint imposed by the barbell, which for maximum efficiency should remain as close to the midline of the body as possible. (Indeed, as this video explains, weightlifting coaches see excessive hip involvement as a technical flaw.)

The authors found that this recruitment strategy allowed for maximal extensions in both the jump and the jerk. For jumping, they believe this approach prevents premature takeoff, allowing the full force of the jump to transfer into lift off the ground. For the jerk, similarly, it maximizes the transfer of force to the barbell at the moment when the bar leaves the shoulders. The same pattern has been observed in runners in other studies, and appears to allow more effective energy transfer from proximal to distal joints.

Three of the jumpers were hip dominant, developing the largest contribution to the movement from the hip joint. Five were knee dominant, and the other four had a roughly balanced ratio of knee to hip torque. The authors suggested that activities, like the long jump, with a horizontal component may favor different strategies from those which require only a vertical jump.

The best jumpers were those who achieved the greatest knee and hip moments, and developed those moments the fastest. The best jumpers also developed the largest knee and ankle moments in the jerk. As noted above, however, it is not clear whether this correlation continues at maximal jerk loads.

Overall, these results suggest that vertical jump performance depends on the athlete’s ability to produce both peak knee and hip moments during the jump. The choice between knee and hip dominant jumping strategies may depend on the athlete’s relative strengths and weaknesses. Thus, training can either seek to change the strategy, or to reinforce it. For example, a coach might attempt to enhance hip drive in a knee dominant jumper, or might seek to increase knee strength.

It’s more difficult to draw firm conclusions about the usefulness of the jerk in improving jump performance. As a knee dominant exercise, the jerk may be used in developing the ability to drive with the knees, but it is not clear whether doing so will increase jump height.

References:

1. Daniel J. Cleather, Jon E. Goodwin, and Anthony M. J. Bull, “Intersegmental Moment Analysis Characterizes The Partial Correspondence Of Jumping And Jerking,” J. Strength and Cond. Res., 27(1), 89-100 (2013). 

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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